Come Friends, let's build up the Icewind Dale Wiki!

Dear Fans and Lovers of Icewind Dale,

My friends, you must be knowing that the Icewind Dale Wiki has long been in a very poor condition, broken as an abandoned ship, and neglected like a lone orphan. I believe that we, the players and modders, who have been gifted countless hours of joy and entertainment by this fascinating game, should try to give it something in return.

What I propose and request to you all, all the enthusiastic fans of Icewind Dale and all of you who love this great game, is to come forth and contribute articles to the Icewind Dale Wiki. There's a lot of things that need to be done, a lot of information and pictures to be added, and a lot of articles to be written, categorised and cleaned. Since a few weeks back, I've started adding the Arcane Spells to the IWD Wiki, and have also adopted it about a week ago. But you'd definitely agree that it's not possible for a single or a few persons to do it all effectively. I'm still an Amateur in this game, since I've not finished it completely even once. So you see, I need all the help that's possible. And you can help.

Why should we improve the IWD Wiki?

Well, this is completely a voluntary endeavour, though there are several reasons why we must help improve it.

Just think of how much joy IWD has given us. Think of this as paying it a tribute to it.

The Wiki shall serve as an excellent storehouse of information, since certain information present in the Game Manuals are sometimes incorrect. Also many things that are scattered here and there can be all brought together under one roof, so we can find whatever we need in a definite place.

By improving the Wiki, we can help others enjoy the game as well. Many new players (including me as well) get stuck or are confused at certain points, which is when they think of consulting the Wiki, but since most of the information is not there, it fails to provide them much help. You'd surely agree that it's inconvenient to start a Forum thread for every basic question. Won't it be just great if we have an authentic reference ready at hand whenever we need it? The Veterans here can also help add their valuable insights to the Wiki and enrich it.

Believe it or not, but it's true that we ourselves can also learn many things while we go about improving the Wiki. From time to time, you are sure to stumble upon pieces of useful information that was previously unknown to you. There is no end to knowledge, and it's better to be well prepared before fighting EVIL.

And, oh yes, just in case something shiny seems to fascinate you, let me tell you: you'll be getting cool, shiny Badges on your very own User Page on the IWD Wiki, that will be rewarded to you as a sign of the Wiki's gratefulness towards your benevolence.

How can you help?

Well, I'm sure you're willing to help! So here is what you should do.

To start things, you should open a Fandom account. Though it's not necessary to have an account in order to start editing the Wiki articles, having an account helps a lot. It gives you a better access to the editing tools, and lets others know that you're the one who has helped in the article's improvement. You surely want to get the credit for your hard work, don't you? Also, you need to have an account to get those shiny Badges. Moreover, editing using a registered account avoids confusions, and helps other people trust that the article is authentic and reliable.

If you don't already have a Fandom account, it's very simple to open one. But just in case you need some help with it, check out the following spoiler:

STEP 1: Go to My Account and click on Register.

STEP 2: Fill in the details and click "Register".

That's it! You are all set to start editing on the Icewind Dale Wiki.

Now, as to what is required to be done. Well, actually, there is a LOT to be done yet, since only a very small part of the work has been done as of now.

Things that need to be done

1. Creation of Articles: The reality is that only a very few articles actually exist on the wiki. So, that's what is required to be done first and foremost. However, before you start creating articles, one thing that I must tell you is: Please follow the model/template articles to know how we want the articles to be. Doing so can help save a LOT of time cleaning the articles. I know that formatting the articles in that format can at first feel complicated, but don't worry, it's quite easy to get hold of the tools, which are neatly arranged in the top of the Editing window. Look below, it's quite simple.If you have any problems or questions, you can always ask in this thread.

2. Categorizing Articles:This is necessary for the sake of navigation and a systematic arrangement. You can do it in two ways:Either add it from the Editing menu, like this:

And then,

Or you can directly add it from the bottom of each page, like this:

3. Adding Pictures and Screen-shots: I need not tell why this is necessary. You can add pictures directly from the Editing Bar on top of the Editing Window.

More Agenda will be added later!

Order of Importance

You are suggested to prioritize your work as follows:

Accuracy and Depth of Information

Adding Helpful Insights

Appropriate Categorization of Articles

Formatting and Use of Templates and Info-boxes

Pictures and Screenshots

Anything else

Also, it would be really convenient if you would notify your course of action in this thread. That is, if you plan to add a series of articles, let others know here, so that they can add something else. Not only will that save time through the division of the work, but also it would help avoid any unnecessary confusions and conflicts.

Of course, you can still add missing parts to other articles, check for errors and rectify them, and of course you can add helpful tips and insights to those articles. Remember, we all are working on this together.

A few more words

It's we, the fans, who are the lifeblood of the Wiki, and it is through our efforts that the wiki can be made a great one, for the benefit of one and all. Never think that your contribution may be insignificant, for it is from little drops of water that the ocean is formed. Each one of us can make a difference, so let's make that difference for the sake of everyone's welfare. Every article, every screenshot, every correction, counts.

And lastly, don't be afraid of making mistakes. There's always the EDIT button , and of course, others are there to clarify your confusions and doubts. If you have any questions, or face any confusions or problems in editing the wiki, you can always post your query in this thread.

Comments

Done Work

Basic description and info-boxes of all level 1 & 2 Wizard spells added. Few notes added. However, spell icon images and screenshots are still to be added. Also, feel free to add any useful information and insights, including tactics and comparative analysis under the "Notes" section (create it if not already present) on any spell's page.

Well, it seems I myself have one big confusion. I would like to ask everyone's opinion in this matter.

At present, the Icewind Dale wiki contains almost no information about IWD2. The articles are all about IWD only, or to be more precise, about IWD:EE. Now the thing is, IWD and IWD2 are completely different games as far gameplay, mechanics, rule-set edition, class and race structure, levelling up system, and many such things are considered. The only similarity is the location where the story occurs, and some minor references from IWD in IWD2. I also think the Engine is quite different, it looks like a modified version of the Infinity Engine. Also, IWD is mainly 2nd Edition D&D with minor 3E elements, while IWD2 is purely 3E with feats, free multiclassing and so on.

Now, the Founder of the IWD wiki (Dutchman, who is currently inactive for a long time, that is, about 4 years) has mentioned in the Main Page that this wiki is to be about both the games. However, considering the aforementioned factors, including them both together in one wiki will cause much problem in navigation, and we would have to provide Ambiguity Clearance Pages (that is, Disambiguation) for almost every article. That would be very inconvenient, both for the Users as well as the Editors. This is different from the case of the Baldur's Gate wiki as all the BG games use the same engine and rule-set, same spells, same classes, same races, and so on. I guess my point is clear. So now, what to do?

One way is to make a separate wiki for IWD2. That is what I'm currently thinking about. But I'm not sure if that would be appropriate or not. I don't know if two different games can be merged within one wiki without causing Ambiguity Issues, and that's what I am worried about. I would like to have your opinion, my friends, before I take this decision, as this work is entirely a Community Endeavour. You may state them right here in this thread.

I think it's fine to make a separate IWD2 wiki. The Main Page does mention IWD2, but I don't see anything to indicate that Dutchman felt strongly about its inclusion.

I also noticed that the wiki was started only a few months before Dutchman went inactive. To me, that means less caution is in order than if he'd worked on this for 14 years or something before going inactive. It doesn't seem like you're in danger of stepping on someone's magnum opus here.

I made it just an hour ago, and the main page is not completed yet. It will be updated and decorated soon. So any information about IWD2 goes there, while anything about IWD itself goes here. That's simple!

So, you may start adding pages to the IWD2 Wiki! It's brand new, like an empty plot of land, and we've got a monument to build upon it. The procedure is exactly the same as described in the original post, and as far templates and article designs are concerned, we shall follow the same pattern as given in the IWD wiki. I'll soon import the Infobox templates and other such things from the IWD wiki to the IWD2 wiki, for convenience of creating and editing the articles. Further instructions will be given later.

Feel free to state your opinions and suggestions about improving this new IWD2 wiki.

Just one more thing, can anyone tell me the name of the .BAM file for the IWD2 logo that is used on the game's main screen? It's great that NearInfinity works absolutely fine with IWD2 as well.

Ho there, fellow adventurers! I am glad to declare that I have cleaned and polished the Main Page of the IWD Wiki to give it a completely brand new look! Please take a few minutes to visit there, and don't forget to give your vote to the Poll Question on the Main Page!

Can someone procure the TRUE numbers for spells whose descriptions lie or are hella vague (how weak or strong the shadow-type summons are, how many summons you actually get from a summoning spell, etc.)?

Can someone procure the TRUE numbers for spells whose descriptions lie or are hella vague (how weak or strong the shadow-type summons are, how many summons you actually get from a summoning spell, etc.)?

@Fyl To be frank, the Icewind Dale Wiki is currently in a very nascent state, and most of the information has not been added yet. Moreover, only three of us (me, @ineth and @compleCCity ) are currently working on the wiki. We are trying to add the general information first (since a lot of that is still missing there), but surely, we'll try to add all the advanced information (like the ones you have mentioned) as soon as we are done with this first part. It might sound disappointing, but it will take some time before the wiki becomes a complete and comprehensive source of information about Icewind Dale. We hope it happens soon, and if more people are eager and willing to help us (by writing articles and editing the existing ones at the wiki), it will definitely happen faster.

By the way, if you wish to find out the numbers as you've said and if you're willing to look into NearInfinity, you can open up the .SPL files of the respective spells. In that, there's an Edit section with the technical stuff. For things like summons, generally some resource files or 2DA tables are used. In the respective 2DA tables (whose names are mentioned in a field in the .SPL file), and in them there is a list of .CRE files of the summons which are called at each caster level. Now, by inspecting the .CRE files, you can find out all the attributes, strengths and weaknesses of the summoned creatures. Yes, the process is complicated, but that's how we have to do it (and that is why it takes us so much time).

For the shade monsters line of spells, there's a variable list, starting with goblins and ending with Umber Hulks and Trolls, however, in case of the level 5 elemental summoning ones, as far as I know, there's always only a shabby 8 HD elemental summoned.

And as I've said, we'll try to include all these information there soon, but it'll take time, though it can be hastened if more people come to help in the building up of the Icewind Dale Wiki.